Our Governors are a very special group of people who contribute greatly to the running of our school, by sharing time, advice and expertise in many different ways. School Governors are like a Board of Directors, since they make decisions about how the school is run. They are volunteers and they meet as a full Governing Body twice a term, with additional meetings for committees. Governors are appointed to:

help decide what is taught

help set standards of behaviour

help interview and appoint members of staff

help decide how the school budget is spent.

School Governors have legal duties, powers and responsibilities. They can only act together and not individually. Our Governing Body has 14 governors, comprising:

8 Foundation governors appointed by the Diocese of Gloucester on the recommendation of the Parochial Church Council of St. Martin’s Church

2 elected parent governors

1 representative from the Local Authority

1 co-opted governor

1 staff governor

the headteacher

The Parent Governors:

have a child at North Nibley School at the time of election

are elected by parents of children at the school

serve for four years.

Parent governors bring the views of parents to the Governing Body, but they speak and act as individuals. They should not be thought of as delegates of the parents, as they do not vote for all parents in general. They all have equal status in the work of the Governing Body and have equal voting rights. The governors play an active role in the life of the school, participating fully in open days, classroom visits and assistance in many areas. The approved minutes of the governors’ meetings are held in the school office for anyone to read.

Thinking of becoming a Governor?

We have created this guide to the role which might support your thinking.

Committees

We have 3 main committees which meet each term. Different groups of governors serve on each committee, and each committee has ‘terms of reference’ which describe their work. For more information click the links below.

Additionally a ‘strategy’ group, to which all governors are invited, meets regularly to explore a wide variety of issues and opportunities in greater depth than is usually allowed for by the committee agendas.

Members

Associate members of the governing body

Associate members are appointed by the governing body to serve on one or more governing body committee. They may also attend full governing body meetings. They are not governors and therefore do not have a vote in governing body decisions, but may be given a vote on decision made by committees to which they are appointed.

Associated members should be appointed because of the specific expertise and experience they can contribute to the effective governance and success of the school. The definition of associate member is wide. Subject to the disqualifications set out in the Regulations, the governing body may appoint a pupil, school staff member, or any other person as an associate member so that they can contribute their specific expertise. This can help to address specific gaps identified in the skills of governing body members, and/or help the governing body respond to particular challenges that they may be facing.